


A Different Path

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: McHanzo [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Childhood Memories, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Friendship/Love, Guilt, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Limbs, M/M, Manipulation, Missions, Prosthesis, Protectiveness, Rescue, Rescue Missions, Serious Injuries, Sibling Love, Slow Burn, Survivor Guilt, Trauma, Wrongful Imprisonment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-20 04:43:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16549121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: A promise made years before leads to Hanzo taking a different path when Genji's fate is decided, paying the price with his own freedom.





	1. Chapter 1

_“Your duty is to protect the clan, no matter who the enemy is. It is your duty to protect the Shimada name from your brother’s dishonour.”_

   Hanzo’s expression darkened as the last meeting with the Clan Elders replayed through his mind, and his grip tightened on the hilt of his katana as he moved through the steps of his practice. After so many years of forced practice the steps were like second nature, and he felt himself calming, although he couldn’t block out the words or the fact that he was running out of time. He’d always known that it would it was only a matter of time until the Elders forced him to do something about Genji, but he’d hoped that he would have longer to work out a different solution. Hoping that with enough time, his words would get through to his brother before he had to do something that would tear them both apart. _Genji…_

_“Look after your little brother.”_ _It was the first time his mother had spoken so clearly in days, her dark eyes fixed on his face even as her fingers played with his hair, her other hand resting against Genji’s head where his little brother lay curled at her side. Hanzo spared a glance at his brother, eyes softening at the sight of tears on the pale cheeks. Genji had been the one to kick up a fuss when they had been chased away earlier so the doctors could come in, and it had been his brother who had convinced him to sneak back into the room to see their mother once everyone, but the guards were in bed for the night, and he was glad he had listened. Turning his attention back to his mother, he caught the soft smile that she had always reserved just for them and his breath caught. It lit up her whole face, banishing the mask of a proud Shimada woman and he leant into her touch as she continued. “Remember, t-the Shimada name is just that, a name. And even if he drives you up the wall, even if he doesn’t live up to your expectations he will always be your brother.”_

_“I understand,” he whispered as solemnly as he could, keeping his voice low so that he didn’t wake his little brother as he added fiercely. “I will protect him.”_

_“Good boy…”_

   Sometimes he wondered if their mother had already known what would become of them. If she had seen something in Genji that had told her that he was never going to be the perfect Shimada heir and that Hanzo would need to be reminded that wasn’t the only thing that mattered. It hadn’t been the first time that he’d heard her speak out against the Shimada name, even though she had loved their father and was proud of her role in the family. However, back then he hadn’t really understood her warning -or what it would mean for him. He’d thought that she meant protecting his brother meant against bullies or enemies of the Shimada clan - not protecting him from himself, or from their family, and his smooth movements faltered, eyes clouding as he glanced down at the sword in his hands. _Or against_ _me…_

   His only hope lay in the fact that he had managed to get the Elders to agree to give him one more chance to speak to Genji, to try and make him realise his role in the family - to bring him back from the brink. It was a conversation that they’d had far too many times in recent years, and he already knew that his words were going to fall on deaf ears. Playing the dutiful son was not a role that Genji wanted to fill, and if Hanzo was being honest he was glad. There had been a time long ago when he had wanted to be just like his brother when the thought of leading their family and being responsible for so many people had filled him with dread. A time when he had dreamt of escaping that fate, of leaving Hanamura and their family name behind him. Dreams that had been slowly and methodically banished through long years of harsh training, and even harsher punishments until he had lost that part of himself, but Genji still had the chance to live the life he wanted, as long as Hanzo could keep him safe.

_How? How do I keep him safe? How do I make sure that my blade is not stained with his blood…?_

**

   It was dark by the time he left the dojo, and he was no closer to reaching an answer to the any of the questions buzzing angrily around his mind, and whilst his practice had left him exhausted he knew that sleep would be a long time coming tonight. He vaguely noticed that there seemed to be guards than normal around the edge of the compound, but he paid it no mind. The recent loss of his father and his own ascension to Clan Leader had left them in a more vulnerable position, opposing factions seeking to test their limits and there had been rumours that Overwatch was starting to look at families like theirs as well to maintain the peace. And a small, traitorous part of him wondered if it wouldn’t be better for everyone if the Shimada family was taken down, although that was a thought that he was careful to keep locked away behind a blank mask. _If the Shimadas fall, Genji will be safe and maybe I can be free…_ It was a wistful dream, one that he knew would never happen and he sighed, feeling weighed down by more than physical exhaustion now.

   That was why he was caught by surprise when he stepped into the main courtyard to find it bathed in light despite the late hour, and full of people. Too many people he realised, his hand instinctively dropping to the hilt of his katana as he took in the gathered Elders and the worrying number of retainers, and he was about to demand answers when a cry that held equal parts anger and fear rang out. His heart sank as he immediately recognized his brother’s voice, whirling just in time to see Genji being dragged into the centre of the gathered crowd and he growled as the younger man was forced to his knees, held in place by swords pressing worryingly close to his neck.

“Wait!” Hanzo had moved before he had even registered what he was doing, silently cursing as his voice came out more panicked that he had wanted, and he took a deep breath, frantically trying to remember all the lessons he had been given on how to sound like a commander even as he continued to move towards his brother. “I haven’t spoken to him yet! You promised that I could try and speak to him again before any further decision was made.” _I should never have trusted them_ , he’d d known that their agreement had been reluctant at best and that his power over them was still tentative at best, but for them to act this quickly meant that they had never intended to wait. _That they’d never intended to give us that time…_

“Brother…?” Genji sounded young, painfully young and frightened and Hanzo felt something snap inside him. He had promised to protect his brother, and whilst he might not have understood the magnitude of that promise at the time it was still a promise and he darted forward. He drew his sword in one fluid movement, the blade a flash of silver as he forced the guards away from his brother, their blood staining his sword as they staggered back, and he quashed any guilt he might have felt as he reached down and offered Genji a hand.

“Rise.” As soon as his brother was back on his feet, Hanzo moved, carefully shifting his brother so that he was behind him, eyes narrowing as he realised that the younger man was dressed for a night on the town. Cursing under his breath as he realised that meant that at best he was only armed with a knife if that, which meant their odds were not improving, and he shifted his katana to a two-handed grip. “Stay behind me.”

“But…”

“Listen to me for once, I don’t want to lose you.” _I can’t lose you…_

“Hanzo what are you doing?” Keisuke Shimada demanded as he stepped forward, his father’s half-brother who had been accepted into the clan despite his less than honourable birth, unable to lead the family but one of the driving forces of the Elders. He had been the one to train both Hanzo and Genji when they were younger, and Hanzo tensed -both at the lack of honorific on his name as his uncle had always insisted on using titles to remind him of who he was, and the fact that he could see the question and the disappointment beneath it reflected on nearly every face in the courtyard. Even the younger retainers who had grown up alongside them and trained with them looked as though they were expecting him to bow to the situation. Trusting him to surrender to the demands of the Clan Elders as always and his expression darkened as he shifted his gaze back to his uncle before giving his reply.

“You taught me that a Shimada always protects their family,” Hanzo replied, voice even though his heart was pounding in his chest. They were vastly outnumbered, and he could see the growing anger in their faces as they realised that he had no intention of obeying their commands this time. There was a small part of him that wanted to obey, years of being the dutiful son working against him, but he could hear Genji shifting nervously behind him, and that helped strengthen his determination to stand against them this time. “I am merely doing as I was taught.”

“You were taught to protect the Shimada name!”

“Which Genji still bears,” Hanzo pointed out sharply, his sword steady in his hands as he felt all his doubts and hesitations fading away as he moved to make sure that he was stood directly in front of Genji, not trusting them to try and take a shot at his brother who was still frozen in shock by what was developing in front of him. “I will not raise my sword against my brother.” _I should never even have contemplated it._  He added privately, tilting his head so that he could see Genji, eyes softening for a moment as he met his brother’s frightened gaze, his resolve hardening as he turned back to face the gathered Elders and retainers, drawing himself up to his full height. “That is my decision as his older brother, and the head of our family.” _Mother, I will keep my promise…._

“Hanzo…” He could hear the quiver in his brother’s voice, the realisation of what was happening seeping into his voice as his shock wore off, and he opened his mouth with the intention of reassuring him, only to freeze as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and he whirled with a snarl as he realised that the decision had been made. There was no way he was going to be able to get them both out of there, and even if they managed to stop Genji from escaping and fulfilled their goal of eradicating his brother, he knew that his own insubordination would not be forgiven. He was going to pay the price for this choice one way or another, which meant that there was only one path left open to him and he was perfectly calm when he glanced back at his brother.

“Genji, you have to go.”

“What?” Genji demanded, shaking his head as he realised what his brother was saying, and what was going to happen to Hanzo and he began to tremble, his hand dropping to where he usually kept his sword, a curse escaping when he realised that it wasn’t there, and he couldn’t keep the quiver out of his voice as he took a step towards his brother. “No! I can fight, I can…”

“Run!” Hanzo cut him off, voice a low growl, all signs of his previous calm disappearing as several retainers charged at them, swiftly moving to intercept them his blade a blur of movement in his hands. These were men that he was supposed to lead. Men he knew - men that were supposed to be loyal to him, and yet there was no hesitation in their attacks, and he had a feeling that the order to kill might just have been extended. Not that he had any intention of letting them have their way, years of practice allowing him to push aside his earlier exhaustion and in the space of a minute they were all on the ground in various states of injury. “Please…” He pleaded as he risked a glance back at Genji, who froze at the pleading tone, something that he hadn’t heard since the day they had stood in the doorway of their mother’s room, watching as the doctor fought to bring her back, both crying out for her to come back.

“I…”

“Go!” Hanzo didn’t have a chance to say anything more to his brother, his previous display had apparently convinced the others that he wasn’t going to back down, because now he was surrounded, and he had no time to worry about his brother, having to focus entirely on protecting himself. He was a good fighter, probably the best in the clan after the long years of training that had been beaten into him, but he had already been worn out from his practice, and he was vastly outnumbered, and it wasn’t long until he felt a blade slice into his arm. Instinctively he jerked back with a sharp cry of pain, the movement affording him quick glance of his brother, and terror rose as he realised that Genji had been backed into a corner and was currently trying to stave off three men with a small knife. Panic leant him strength and speed, with no regard to his own safety he sprang upwards, planting his foot against someone’s shoulder and launching himself over their heads.

    His ankle twisted as he sprang free of the group, but he didn’t slow, closing the distance between himself and his brother’s attackers in a blink of an eye and he didn’t hold back this time, blood soaking the front of his gi as he tore through them from behind. He could hear the others recovering from his abrupt movement, swarming towards them and his chest heaved as he whirled to face them, hands trembling as he faced down his own clan.

“Run…please…” Sheer desperation coloured his voice this time, and he nearly collapsed with relief when trembling fingers brushed his shoulder before he caught the familiar sound of Genji scrambling up the wall behind him. The furious shouts that followed confirming what was happening, and Hanzo cursed as he saw several men taking aim with bows and guns and without hesitation he lifted left arm, already feeling the dragons rising in answer to his need and his eyes were narrowed as he summoned them. “Ryū ga waga teki o kurau!”. The twin dragons tore through the courtyard, filling the air with pained shouts from those who hadn’t been able to get out of the way in town and scattering the rest. Using the distraction, he took the chance to glance behind him, relief flooding him as he realised that the wall was empty now, his brother was gone, and he closed his eyes as a tiny smile tugged at his lips.

_Good. Go and do not look back, be free of this cursed family of ours…_

**

   Genji was breathing heavily by the time he finally stopped running, blinking as he glanced down and realised he had ended up in downtown Hanamura without even realising it. He knew these streets well, too many misspent nights spent exploring them, and that had clearly drawn him back here. However, there was no relief with that thought and he slumped against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut.

_This is all my fault_ …

    He had known that his behaviour was eventually going to draw down the wrath of the Clan Elders, aware that his father and the fact that they had a perfect heir in waiting had protected him until now. But he had never thought they would act so soon, or that they would go too far, and his hands curled into fists at his side - what kind of family would ask one brother to kill another? What kind of family would willingly turn on their own leader just because he valued his own blood relatives? He had always known that he was different from the rest of the Shimada family, but he had never thought that Hanzo would stand against them like that and his stomach churned unpleasantly, bile rising as the realisation that he had turned and abandoned his brother hit him hard. Guilt pooling thickly in the pit of his stomach, as he turned and gazed back towards the castle.

_Hanzo…_

***

   Using the dragons was always a risky business, especially when he was already exhausted and Hanzo had been unsurprised when his legs had given way beneath him the moment the last trace of them had disappeared from the courtyard, barely managing to catch himself and his katana clattering to the ground beside him as he fought to catch his breath. _Mother, I got him out of here please make sure that he stays safe,_ he pleaded silently as he heard movement around him, fingers curling against the ground as he slowly lifted his head, expression already settling back into the blank mask that he had been taught to use, although it nearly cracked as he took in the expressions of the Clan Elders who had easily evaded the dragons after years of witnessing how they worked. He had known that he would be punished regardless of the outcome of his actions, and he had thought that he was prepared. However, a chill swept over him as he was surrounded, his katana being kicked safely out of reach and suddenly there were rough hands on him, forcing his arms back behind his back as he was hauled to his feet and defiantly he lifted his head, meeting Keisuke’s gaze without hesitation.

“I do not regret my choice,” he declared softly, a calm settling over him at the truth of those words. Genji was safe and he had kept his promise to their mother, his family honour was satisfied regardless of what the Elders decided to do to him. “And I will face whatever punishment you deem fit, even death.” _Not that I have much choice_ …

“You are still the head of this clan despite your foolishness tonight, and your death would only hurt the clan,” Keisuke replied, his voice cold but calm and Hanzo almost wished that he was shouting, it would have made it easier to bear, although he forced himself not to let that show outwardly. “Your place is here, but it seems as though you must be reminded of that fact.” There was movement, and Hanzo’s breath caught as his own katana was handed to his uncle who lifted it, studying the blade with something akin to regret for a moment, before meeting Hanzo’s gaze once more. “Reminded that for a Shimada, especially for our leader there can be no life beyond the clan.” Hanzo was still trying to make sense of those words when his uncle moved…

Pain.

    Agony unlike anything he had ever experience before ripped through him, and there was nothing that could hold back the scream that was torn from him as the world went black for a moment. He wished that it had stayed dark, as the awareness that seeped back brought with it enough pain to make his breath catch in his throat, tears coating his cheeks and it took him a few minutes to focus enough to take in the blood staining his uncle’s front. The blood staining his own blade, and there was a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he realised that it was his own blood and slowly he let his gaze drift lower and immediately wished that he hadn’t as he stared numbly at the stump that was all that was left of his left leg. _No._ Bile rose at the back of his throat, but before he could fall apart completely his uncle had leant forward to catch his attention, and he forced himself to focus.

“We will find your brother,” Keisuke promised, no inflection in his voice to show that he was talking about his nephew and Hanzo tried to summon a snarl, but the pain was making it hard to focus, and it came out halfway between a grimace and an exhausted whimper. “And when the time comes, your hands will be the ones to strike him down. You will become the Shimada clan’s leader - the perfect leader. The perfect weapon.” _The perfect tool_ … The last bit was unspoken, but Hanzo heard it clearly, and he closed his eyes in defeat as every trace of defiance he had managed to summon up earlier disappeared and he hung his head as he saw his uncle lifting the katana once more, already knowing what was to come and unable to bring himself to care. He had lost. The only thing he had left was the knowledge that Genji was free, and that his little brother had the skills to evade the clan even if he rarely showed them and he closed his eyes as silver flashed through the air towards him once more.

Genji, please don’t come back for me.


	2. Chapter 2

     Genji scowled as he stared up at Shimada Castle, twirling a shuriken between his fingers as he studied the building, sharp eyes noting the concealed guards on the walls and he knew that even more were hidden in the courtyards and gardens. It had been the same for the last three months, the guard on the castle had almost tripled, and it had been impossible for him to get inside to see Hanzo. Hell, he hadn’t even managed to get further than the outer wall, and he had nearly been captured in the process. Although the fact that they were strangely reluctant to kill him now was also the reason why he had managed to escape, although not without injury and he scowled as he glanced at the fresh scar decorating his arm. Three months and that was all he had to show for it - he still didn’t know what had happened to his brother, or if Hanzo was even still in the castle. He had no idea what had happened after he had fled that night, there were rumours that something had happened in the clan, that things were changing, but no one seemed to know where Hanzo was, or what he was doing and he hated it. He hated himself for listening to his brother and fleeing, and yet at the same time he knew that if he hadn’t then he would probably be dead.

    The worst thing was that he knew that there was no way the Elders would have let Hanzo’s disobedience go unpunished, and they were both all too familiar with how harsh the family’s punishments could be…and he doubted that even his position as head of the Clan would have been enough to protect him completely. _They can’t kill him though._ The Dragons would never allow the clan to be ruled by anyone who wasn’t a pure-blooded Shimada, the few times it had been attempted in the past had nearly brought the family to ruin, and he doubted their current Elders would be willing to risk it. However, death wasn’t necessarily the worst thing that could be done to a person, and he growled under his breath at that thought. He also knew that Hanzo would have accepted whatever they had done to him - he would take it because that was how he had been raised, and his hand tightened around his weapon until the points were digging into his skin. Hanzo would never flee, not willingly, which meant that he had to get to him, but how? What could he do on his own?

_Hanzo, where are you? What have they done to you?_

_How do I help you…?_

****

_A dragon soars and flies…it must be one be one with the sky, or it can no longer call itself a dragon._

    Hanzo kept his gaze fixed on the far wall as he heard the door to his ‘room’ opening, a leaden weight settling into his stomach at the sound of the bolts being drawn back and the noise of locks turning. _Why do they bother?_ He asked himself silently, it wasn’t as though he could escape even if he wanted to, and he was unable to stop his eyes from drifting to his legs, or rather what remained of them. At that thought, a familiar ache blossoming in his chest at the sight of the heavily scarred stumps. There had been no finesse in his uncle’s methods, and he knew that he was lucky that he hadn’t bled out there in the courtyard. He didn’t feel lucky -death would have been a welcome escape from the existence that he had now.

But death was not permitted, not for him.

    The doctor who had served his family for years, who had delivered both him and his brother had tried to give him that relief. Even amongst the terrible pain and grief for what had been taken from him, Hanzo had been able to make out the warm voice which had seen him through many a childhood injury and illness, he heard the older man’s sorrow, his guilt that he hadn’t been able to speak out against the elders. His grief and fury that this had happened to Hanzo, and the quiet promise he had made to free him, from the pain, from the rest of his punishment which awaited his recovery. He hadn’t been able to speak at that point, words beyond him as he sank beneath the pain, but his fingers had found the doctor’s hands, a light squeeze, barely even a touch showing that he understood.

     The relief had never come. He had been slipping, darkness closing around him when there had been a commotion in the room, and he could vaguely remember watching as his uncle dispatched his only ally, warm blood that wasn’t his splattering on his face, another stark reminder of what his life was now. Another doctor, one who would obey the elders had been brought in, and Hanzo had survived. His legs were gone, his wings had been clipped, but he was alive. _If you can call it that…_

“Good morning Hanzo,” Keisuke greeted him as he strode into the room, and Hanzo fought the urge to snarl at the older man. Even now he kept up a pretence of an elder doing what he thought best for the clan, but Hanzo was no longer fooled, he had never forgotten the unspoken words from their confrontation in the courtyard, and he knew that the man was only waiting. Waiting for a chance to strike, to take power, to turn Hanzo into his weapon - his tool, and what made it worse was that Hanzo knew that right now he was in no position to fight him.

    His strength was slowly returning, but it would be a long time before he was at full strength and without legs, and his hands curled into fists in his lap. _I wish you had killed me…_ The words were on the tip of his tongue, just as they always were during these visits. Sometimes they slipped free, but on other days, like today he managed to swallow them back, staying focused on the far wall in the hopes of hiding his struggle from the older man.

“Look at me,” Keisuke had reached his side, and Hanzo had to suppress a flinch at his closeness. Especially when he glimpsed the sword resting in its sheath at the older man’s waist, the memory of that blade coming towards him and the pain that followed flashing through his mind, and instead of obeying the order he closed his eyes, trying to block out the past and the present. It was a mistake. A sharp pain erupted in his cheek, and he tasted copper as he bit at his lip to stop himself from making a sound, refusing to give the older man the satisfaction of hearing his pain, but reluctantly he opened his eyes, tilting his head the bare minimum so that he could glare up at the older man.

“What do you want Keisuke?” He expected and accepted the second blow, refusing to show the man even the slightest modicum of respect or familiarity. It hurt. He had so many memories of this man training them, playing with them when they were younger - warm, happy memories that were now stained with blood, because whenever he looked at him now, he saw the fear in Genji’s eyes, the sight of his brother’s retreating back and that sword flashing through the air towards him.

“Have you had enough of this foolishness?” Keisuke asked, expression calm and relaxed as though this was a normal situation and Hanzo hated him for that, missing his own calm, but unable to summon it, another thing that had been lost that night. _Foolishness…_ He made it sound so trivial, as though Hanzo losing his legs, seeing his brother flee into the night and waking in the rooms that were reserved for high-ranking prisoners was nothing more than an inconvenience and Hanzo couldn’t hold back his growl, which deepened as it was met with an expression of deep disappointment.  “I can give you wings again Hanzo.”

    Honeyed words and Hanzo desperately tried to ignore the small spark of longing at the offer, his gaze darting down to his legs once more despite his best efforts not to look, and he took a shuddering breath before shaking his head. He might be able to move freely again, he might be able to fight as he once had if he agreed to help his uncle, but he would be chained in different ways. There was something in the dark eyes that watched his every movement, a hunger that scared him and he knew that if he accepted his effort, there would be no way to escape being consumed by that hunger.

“I will not be your tool,” Hanzo spat, eyes glittering with defiance even though he knew they were empty words. He had nothing - no weapons, no freedom, no legs to fight with. If his uncle chose to truly break him, then he had nothing to fight back with. Even the dragons in his arm had been silent since the day he had been cut down, and a small part of him wondered if they had abandoned him as well if they had realised that he was no longer capable of being the Shimada leader. “Nor will I help to hunt down my brother.” He knew that out of all the people in the castle he was the only one who could track down Genji when he was in survival mode, their childhood spent exploring Hanamura, and the castle together meant that he knew all his brother’s habits and haunts. And he had been the one to insist that they set up separate hideouts, places they could retreat to if anything ever happened to the clan - he could find Genji, he was certain of that, and he was also certain that he would never do it, not for them.

“I wonder nephew,” Keisuke murmured, hand on his sword and this time Hanzo couldn’t contain his flinch, and he didn’t miss the glint of triumph in the dark eyes. “Everyone has a breaking point Hanzo, I taught you that.” Hanzo felt his breath catch, those had been the worst lesson - the insight into the darker side of their clan’s business, and a chill swept down his back, those lessons had left both him and Genji with blood on their hands and haunted by sights that had them seeking each other out at night for weeks afterwards. But then he had been the hands searching for the breaking point - he felt sick, back then he had idly wondered what his breaking point was. Would he last longer than the men he was breaking apart? Or would he fall, shattering into a thousand pieces long before they had even cracked?

“I will not break.” It was softer and less certain than he had intended, but he meant it. He believed it because even as he felt himself wavering, Genji’s face flashed through his mind, the wide, fearful eyes from the last time he had seen him…the knowledge that he was still out there, alive and fighting…and his promise to his mother. _I will not break, because then I could not protect him…_ Taking a deep breath he raised his head, turning so that he was fully facing the older man and this time his voice was firm and confident, the tone his father had taught him to use when addressing the clan. _Do not let them see your weakness, be calm and firm, confident even if your soul is shaking and they will listen to you, and bow before you. That is how a Shimada leads._ He wanted to laugh, to point out to his father that. “You should have killed me back then because I will not break.” _I can’t break. I mustn’t break…_

“It is a shame,” Keisuke murmured, and the next thing Hanzo knew was pain, hot flickers of pain lashing at his left leg and this time he couldn’t stop himself from crying out. _It hurts. It hurts._ His vision was blurred with tears, and it took him a moment to clear it enough to see that the older man was gripping his stump, fingers digging cruelly into the tender scars. “I had hoped that your punishment for helping Genji would have helped you realise your place, but it seems as though you are more stubborn than your brother.” _Of course, I am,_ Hanzo thought, unable to get the words out as he was now biting down on his lip, hard enough to draw blood as the fingers tightened even more. _It hurts…_

 His control, his ability to hold back the pain was cracking, and he could feel a wail welling up in his throat. The urge to beg, to plead for mercy threatening to overwhelm him, when suddenly the fingers disappeared, and for a moment he froze, paralysed by relief. It hurt, it would take the pain a while to subside. He knew that from when he tried to pull himself from the bed once, landing with his full weight on the stumps, but the pressure was gone, and for now, that was enough for him to regain control of himself, and he blinked away the tears, slowly lifting his gaze to the older man once more.

“You will break nephew,” Keisuke promised, and Hanzo felt something inside him crack at the sheer certainty in those words, and he couldn’t muster even the slightest bit of defiance. “Believe me, there is no other path for you. It’s just up to you how much you want to endure before that point, and how much you want to risk losing.” Hanzo’s eyes narrowed at that threat, confusion and fear warring from control as the older man turned away, his words hanging in the air, and Hanzo felt something raw, and painful shift in his chest, realisation dawning even as the door closed and the sound of the locks turning echoed through the room once more.

_Genji…_

****

    If it wasn’t for the fact that he was currently fighting for his life and gradually being pushed away from the castle, Genji might have found some amusement in the fact that the skills that his teachers had thought had gone in one ear and out the other were now the same skills keeping him alive. There had certainly been more than a little satisfaction earlier when he had come face to face with one of his trainers, Takashi, in fact, the first one who had ever given up on him, abandoning his attempts to teach Genji completely despite his father’s orders. It had been a brutal fight, there had been anger on both sides, and the older man hadn’t seemed opposed to causing serious if not fatal harm to his former pupil. Genji had won – just, and taken great pleasure in walking away, leaving Takashi bloody and defeated to face the punishment that his uncle would no doubt mete out for that failure.

    He wasn’t unscathed though, a hastily wrapped scrap of material was hiding a deep gash on his arm, and he grimaced as he glanced at it, the once cream material now stained red. He was covered in smaller nicks and bruises as well, and from the feel of it, he had twisted his ankle when he had been forced to roll off a rooftop to avoid a particularly close blow. Even his training hadn’t been enough to save him that time, and he growled under his breath, eyes narrow as he glanced up at the castle. It was so close, but he could hear movement and voices heading in his direction, and he knew that there was no way he was going to be able to do any more tonight. At least not without getting himself killed, and while he hated the thought of retreating - again, he knew that Hanzo would never forgive him if he got himself killed just because he was too stubborn to know his limits. _See brother I do listen to your rants sometimes,_ he thought with fond amusement, having lost count of the number of lectures the older man had heaped on his head, but the amusement was short-lived because he had failed again.

    Cursing under his breath, he stared at the castled for a moment longer before he forced himself to turn away, ignoring the pain that lanced through his ankle as he scaled a wall, disappearing over the rooftops just as the alley he had been using for cover was flooded with life. He peeked back at them for a moment, smirking as he heard them cursing and arguing about to search next and then he was gone, fading away into the night.

_I will not give up. Wait for me Hanzo…_

****

    Isolation was their newest tactic. They couldn’t cut him off completely, because he had to eat, drink and use the bathroom as they didn’t want to kill him. However, his new caretaker, a man he didn’t recognise never spoke a word to him or even so much as looked at him, which was both a relief because Hanzo hated the fact that he couldn’t take of himself anymore, but also disturbing. He had never been one for company, but he liked to have the option, to know that if he wanted to seek someone out he could, and even that had been stripped from him.  The rest of the time he was left on his own, in a room that had been stripped clear of everything and anything that he could have used to endure the silence, the solitude and as much as he hated to admit it…it was getting to him. Not enough to break him…not yet, but with time…with time he could see the silence tearing him apart.

“Please…” Hanzo whispered. He had to whisper because speaking louder felt strange, intimidating in the silence that engulfed the room. Now his words were barely audible, his eyes focused on his arm, his voice pleading in a way that he would never allow it to be if there had been anyone else in the room as he traced the tattoo with a shaking finger. “Please, I know that I am not the man I was, but please…come back.” Even if they wouldn’t fight for him in his current situation, just knowing that the Dragons there would help. He needed to feel them shifting, waiting just beneath the surface, but his plea hung heavy and unanswered in the silence, and he bowed his head. “Please…”

_I can’t do this alone…_

 


End file.
